Life's a Beach

The last weekend of July we went to the beach with some friends. While not everything was 'perfect,' I wanted to post about the highlights from the trip since I always try to keep the blog positive. First of all, we made it to OCMD safely with no accidents and no delays. I actually did most of the driving on the way there. The boys slept decently well even away from home and even in the conditions we were in.

The place that we stayed had a nice playground where the boys enjoyed playing with their little friends. Since I hadn't taken my camera on the beach, these are the only real pictures we had from the place that we stayed, which was right on the beach, another bonus.

I have to say that the boys LOVED the beach - Joshua didn't mind the sand and had a blast. Caleb wasn't too sure of the sand at first, which worked to our benefit since he stayed on the beach sheet we had brought. Normally he's hard to contain, but this was the perfect situation. He enjoyed the cups and toys we brought and his little chair and the snacks we had, etc. Meanwhile, Joshua was THRILLED to be there. I think we're raising a little beach bum. Shawn said we could only be so lucky. The first day we were there, it was rather windy and the waves were intense. Only Chris from our group went and tried it. There was literally a cliff where the sand stopped and the ocean waves pounded. But, it was gorgeous. The wind made it cool enough that the kids could thoroughly enjoy themselves, and the waves were really neat to see. It reminded me of my current reading in the Bible that God tells the ocean how far it can go and it can't go an inch past this border. How cool!

While we were there, we kept to our kids schedule. I didn't sleep at all the first night, so I got to see the sun rise over the ocean, which was gorgeous. I also got to do my devotions outside enjoying the beautiful view. Then when the boys woke up, we waited a little while for our friends and then left to enjoy as much time outside as we could. We came back when it was time for the boys' lunch, and thankfully I had brought some PB&J stuff for them to eat. They then took a nice nap and were happy the rest of the night (praise God!). Daddy & I also napped.

The kids played outside while we waited for our friends to get ready for dinner that night, and then we all headed to Grotto Pizza. I wasn't sure that we'd find seating for 11 people at 5:30 on a Friday night, but we got right in. That was really nice. Caleb didn't want to sit still at dinner, but the food was delicious and the company was nice. We headed out from there to Rehoboth Beach Boardwalk since Lisa had some ride tickets left over from when she went there earlier in the week. Our kids LOVED the rides!

That's where the rest of our pictures are from. They thoroughly enjoyed all the little rides there were there. From cars to boats to airplanes to carousels. We didn't get to do the firetrucks, but I'm sure we will the next time we go.

We also got ice cream that night on the boardwalk after losing our friends on their walk to a sports store.

We got home late, and the boys went right to sleep. We finally passed out around 2 am, but we're early risers so we were up at a decent time the next day to enjoy the beach. Since it was a Saturday, a day when many folks check out, we got a front row seat by the ocean. This time, the waves had calmed down and it was warmer out. While the kids don't love sunscreen, they LOVE the outdoors. So, they put up with momma insisting that they wear some to protect their skin.

Once again, Joshua LOVED the beach. He wanted Daddy to take him to the water, and then Momma to take him to dip his toes in. He didn't go in real far, but he loved his feet getting wet. He loved the sand and everything about being there. Daddy & his friends played catch with a football, and Joshua played with a Frisbee. Caleb enjoyed the little inflated baby pool and the toys. I enjoyed the sunshine, the gorgeous views, and the beach chair Daddy had gotten me for my birthday. It was beautiful outside.

After we were done at the beach, we took the boys swimming at the pool that was part of the condo complex. They also love to swim. In fact, Caleb said he enjoyed that more than the beach while Joshua said he liked the beach then the pool.

We decided to leave a day early, so we went back and packed up our stuff and headed out. Since we were in no rush, we stopped at "Dead Freddie's Island Grill" on the way home after Shawn had seen an ad for it. And it did not disappoint! The outdoor seating was in the shade, and they had an enclosed playground right next to the tables for the kids to play at. We had a great time talking over lunch while the boys had a blast playing. They ate their lunch when it came and went back to playing while we finished ours. The food was good, and the drinks came in pitchers and coconuts for fun festive flair. It was a gorgeous day.

We headed out then and came home, again arriving safely with no major delays. This time, Shawn drove the whole way. We unpacked our bags and went to bed early, which enabled us to enjoy the first service at church the next morning. And it was an awesome service - great worship, fantastic message, etc. We knew we were meant to be there.

I would definitely go back to the beach with the boys again sometime. They did GREAT! They slept well, played well, and had a wonderful time. :) :) :)